A timely and sobering review of the concepts, practices and principles that may be applied to the turnaround and reengineering of organisations, this book comprises a compendium of meaningful insights provided by 35 noted management and turnaround practitioners, consultants and academics in South Africa.

The authors seek to demystify the bewildering array of terminologies and concepts used to describe different turnaround situations, postulating that turnaround is, in the main, about effective leadership and communication. As Marius Pretorius and Gert Holtzhauzen reflect: “Even the best strategy can fail if a corporation doesn’t have a cadre of leaders with the right capabilities at the right levels of the organisation.”

Wide appeal Within the education sector alone, the book will appeal to policy-makers, administrators, Heads, Governors and teachers of Economic & Management Science, if only by virtue of the detailed turnaround techniques and tools including benchmarking, value analysis, value chains, profitability analysis, process re-engineering and checklists, amongst others. For the “uninitiated”, as Neil Harvey so aptly describes, the key to turnaround lies in identifying the critical success factors that contribute to organisational transformation and sustainability.

Undoubtedly, those in leadership roles require a clear understanding of those factors to execute a successful turnaround programme. An easy read Comprising 47 short, sharp chapters, accompanied by 13 local case studies, conclusions and recommendations chapters, combined with an extensive bibliography, the book proves an easy and informative read. Flow charts and illustrations are comprehensive, logical and value-adding. For those who desire a pragmatic and well-reasoned approach to organisational turnaround, this book has clear appeal and should certainly be on your purchase list.